course,” Amy said, looking perturbed as she stepped lightly along the uneven ground. Her high-fashion clothes looked more out of place here than usual.
“Do you guys want the tour?” Emily asked.
Harry nodded enthusiastically, but Amy made only a lackluster noise of confirmation.
“I’ll show you!” Chantelle cried.
She led the way, heading into the trees with Harry and Amy in tow. Their footsteps and noisy voices disrupted the black squirrels that inhabited the island, making them scurry up the trees.
As Emily trekked after them, slower because of her pregnant waddle, she could hear Chantelle excitedly making announcements.
“We’re going to have a tree house here,” Chantelle told them. “It will be a pirate ship for me and Charlotte to play in. And that will be where the magical fairy castle ballroom will be.”
Daniel, having finished securing the boat, came up beside Emily and helped her through the thickets. They drew up beside the others, Emily panting slightly from the effort and exhilaration she felt from being here.
Amy raised her eyebrows as they approached, surprised and interested.
“Are you doing all the work yourself?” she asked Daniel. “It sounds like there’s a lot to do. Too much for one man, especially a soon-to-be father.”
Emily smiled to herself; her friend always had her best interests at heart and knew how difficult Emily found it whenever Daniel was away from home.
“No!” Daniel exclaimed with a chuckle. “We have great contractors for it. Two kids, straight out of college. They’re desperate to add to their portfolio so we’re expecting really great things from them.”
“And other than pirate ships and magic castles,” Harry said, “where will the actual inn parts be?”
“Well, there will be a three-room cabin which we want to start as a sort of writer’s retreat. Tracy is also going to do some yoga workshops on the island, like day-long well-being retreats.”
“It sounds fantastic,” Harry said. “How much do you think you’ll get done over the winter?”
“Depends on the weather,” Daniel said. “It’s a shame it took so long to get the sale through, really. This Indian summer could have given us a head start, but I’m sure it will be over by the time we’ve organized all the machinery and materials.”
Thinking ahead made Emily worry. No longer was the island a fantasy or a dream. It was real. Now everything had to be practical. There was so much to organize and pay for, so many components that had to be in place. They’d barely finished the renovations at Trevor’s. It felt a bit like they’d jumped from the frying pan and into the fire!
But still, Emily was thrilled. She couldn’t quite believe she and Daniel had had the guts to buy the island. Not only had they been brave enough to make a child together, they’d been brave enough to follow their dreams, no matter how crazy they may seem. Emily smiled to herself, knowing that above all else, they were a team, and that together they were indestructible.
“Now, let’s go start a fire,” Daniel said, rubbing his hands eagerly. “Chantelle, can you collect all the pieces of wood on the beach?”
She nodded and hurried off, always in need of a task, always wanting to do her part to help. Then Daniel pulled a package of marshmallows from his jacket pocket. Emily laughed with delight, knowing how happy Chantelle would be when she got back from her trip to the beach to discover Daniel’s plan to toast marshmallows around the bonfire.
“You should have brought your guitar!” Emily said.
But Daniel just smiled and kissed her tenderly. “There will be so many more opportunities for songs around the bonfire,” he said, his eyes going dreamy. “You, me, and the girls.”
Emily gazed at him, awed by the man he was, the gorgeousness of him, and so excited for their future together, for all the adventures that lay ahead.
Mouths sticky with melted marshmallow, bellies and cheeks aching from laughter, the small party headed back to the boat. Daniel had called it, saying that the light would soon fade. And besides, there was no plumbing on the island yet and Baby Charlotte had a tendency to kick Emily’s bladder on a regular basis, so she’d be relieved to be heading back within the vicinity of a restroom.
When they reached the main lane, Daniel found their spot in the harbor. There were very few vessels in the water now, though many more than usual at this time of year. Everyone was making the most of the warm weather, eking out as many trips on the water as they could before winter came along and robbed them of that pleasure.
“Thanks for that impromptu trip to your island,” Amy said, hugging Emily farewell. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how crazy that is.”
Emily smiled at her, tucking loose strands of her hair from her eyes. “When can we hang out just the two of us?” she asked.
Though Amy was often around, they were always surrounded by people. Emily couldn’t actually recall the last time the two of them had gotten together for a good chat, and she could tell that Amy needed someone to talk to right now.
“Chantelle’s back at school tomorrow,” Emily added, “so we’ll be able to find some privacy more easily. How about coffee at Joe’s once we’ve dropped her off?”
Amy nodded and Emily noticed the look of relief in her eyes to know she’d finally be able to offload whatever was on her mind.
They parted ways with Amy and Harry, everyone hugging and waving goodbye, then strolled slowly back to the inn, exhausted from the long day. Even the dogs were dragging their paws.
“I’m tired,” Chantelle said through her yawn as they idled up the driveway.
Ahead of them sat the inn, silhouetted against a deepening blue sky. Its windows beamed out yellow light, looking like twinkling stars from this distance. Emily smiled, content. Seeing the inn always gave her a sense of peace, and made her feel like she was home.
“Let’s have some dinner first and then you can head up to your room,” Emily said. “It’s your first day back at school tomorrow so you need a good night’s sleep.”
Chantelle looked a little sad. “The summer’s over already?”
Emily nodded. “I’m afraid so, sweetie. But don’t worry, you love school! You’ll see Bailey and Toby every single day again. And Gail.”
“Will Miss Glass still be my teacher?” Chantelle asked.
Emily shook her head. “You’ll be in a new class with a new teacher. Does that worry you?”
Chantelle paused, her expression showing that she was thinking about it. “No,” she said, eventually. “I’ll still see Miss Glass on the playground sometimes.”
Emily smiled, then caught Daniel’s eye. He was smiling too.
They went inside the inn, the foyer bright, warm, and welcoming. Bryony was in the side lounge on her favorite couch, surrounded by half-drunk coffee mugs as usual. She leapt up when she saw them, her metal bracelets jangling as she did, and hurried over. Her perfume smelled of spices.
“Guys,
